Addison Realtor Bob
Rizza Discusses the Usefulness, or Uselessness, of Open Houses
When marketing a
home for sale, one of the first techniques that homeowners ask about is the
potential of holding an open house, but there are no two Chicagoland realtors that
view the usefulness, or uselessness, of open houses in the same light. From
some colleagues, I have heard the number “1 in 5” of their listings are sold
through open houses, but in the very next conversation I may be told that a
fellow realtor has not had nearly as much success with them. I try to be open
minded and, more importantly, work with my clients to close their home quickly,
and, again, more importantly, efficiently.
Some reasons realtors may not favor
open houses include:
·
Apathy
·
The house will not “show” well
·
The house is in a difficult location and/or hard
to find
If, however, an open house is
something about which you feel strongly, there some helpful tips that you could
follow:
·
Advertise. It will be impossible for an open
house to be successful if no one can find your home. Find a busy,
often-traveled location and place large signage with the address and an arrow
pointing in the right direction (Ask your Chicagoland realtor for great
suggestions on prime locations to post signage). Then, lead potential buyers to
your home by placing additional signage along the way. If the directions to
your open house are detailed and clearly mapped, it shows that you are “on top
of your game”--which implies that the home has also been cared for with the same
meticulous attention to detail.
·
Clean, clean, clean! Clean your home from top to bottom, even the long-forgotten
places you may never expect viewers to look. These locations include the
outside and inside of cabinets, the inside of dishwashers, laundry machines,
walls, baseboards and ceiling fans.
·
Reduce all clutter. This is an important and
often-underrated tip for home sale. It is imperative that all unnecessary items
are removed from view and that all necessary items are put in their proper
place. When selling your home, the goal becomes for the home to “sell itself”;
this is only possible if you bring attention to all the great amenities the
house has to offer. You also want viewers to envision the potential of the
space—you want viewers to see what their life could be like living there. In
the kitchen, remove all unnecessary items from the counter, but leave out a
bowl of fruit and a cookbook. Decorative items are important and the cookbook
illustrates a loving family that has shared many meals around the family table.
Many people are looking for a place to raise their family, or enjoy their
grandkids, and would prefer to live in a house where love and the values of
family have long been associated with the home.
So, there are many pieces of advice
from Chicagoland realtors floating around, but if you choose to hold
an open house, remember the goal is to help the house “sell
itself” and to highlight that which makes the house different from others
on the market. To iterate: advertise, simplify and clean! Create an atmosphere
in which others could imagine themselves living, and help potential buyers conceive
the love, friendship and adventures they could experience in their new home.
Blog maintained by Identity Dental Marketing
Blog maintained by Identity Dental Marketing
